The Philadelphia Phillies are parting ways with hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson, sources confirmed Wednesday night, as the club moves forward under manager Don Mattingly for the 2027 season.
Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia first reported the news, writing that the Phillies “will move on from hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson, according to sources.”
The moves come on the same day the organization removed the interim tag from Mattingly and signed him to a two-year contract covering 2027 and 2028. Long and Dickerson had been on the staff together since the start of the 2022 season, remaining through the transitions from Joe Girardi to Rob Thomson and then to Mattingly in late April.
Long, 59, joined Philadelphia after four seasons in the same role with the Nationals. He previously served as hitting coach for the Yankees and Mets. His teams reached the World Series four times, including titles with the Yankees in 2009 and the Nationals in 2019, plus a 2022 appearance with the Phillies.
The decision follows a sharp drop in offensive production. The Phillies posted a .258 batting average and .759 OPS in 2025, ranking second and fourth in the majors, respectively.
Those figures fell to .240 and .707 this season, placing 21st and 22nd. The club finished 19th in runs scored with 713 and recorded a 92 wRC+, better than only the Reds and Rockies.
Only three regulars — Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott — posted a wRC+ above 90 among players with at least 130 plate appearances. The offense ranked among the top 10 in OPS during Long’s first four seasons in Philadelphia before the decline.
Long had received a contract extension after the 2025 season that ran through 2028. He is expected to draw interest from other clubs this winter.
Dickerson, 61, returned to the Phillies as infield coach before the 2022 season after a previous stint in 2019 and two years with the Padres. He worked with Alec Bohm to improve his play at third base and helped Bryce Harper transition to first base in 2023 while recovering from elbow surgery.
Infield defense also regressed. The group went from plus-20 outs above average in 2025 to minus-11 this year, a swing of 31 outs, according to Statcast data. Trea Turner improved to plus-17 outs above average at shortstop in 2025 after negative marks the prior two seasons, but he finished with minus-11 this year, his worst mark at the position.
The Phillies reached the postseason for a fifth straight year but were swept out of the Wild Card Series by Atlanta, scoring eight runs across three games. Defense has not ranked among the club’s strengths for several seasons.
Mattingly is scheduled to speak with reporters via Zoom on Thursday. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will meet with the media Thursday morning at Citizens Bank Park. Any additional staff changes are expected to be addressed then.
The Phillies are likely to rely on Mattingly’s input as they fill the vacancies on the coaching staff ahead of the 2027 season. Both Long and Dickerson are regarded as experienced coaches who could land elsewhere, though managerial openings around the league are limited.
The club has not officially confirmed the moves as of Wednesday night.
